Get green certification nation s manufacturers urged
FURNITURE manufacturers in
Malaysia need to go for green certi fication since the country is a lead ing furniture exporter amid rising
demands for environmental friend
ly furniture products globally Forest Research Institute Malaysia FRIM Green Technology Programme head Dr Gan Kee Seng said green certification was impor tant to give customers the assur
ance that raw materials used were
sourced legally and sustainably
The materials used should not emit toxic chemicals that could be harmful to human health and the
environment when products were in used he said
The certification also gives assurance that the products are of good quality before the end of its life This means if a product is designed to last 10 years it must go through lab tests that it will last up to 10 years
But if it breaks it shows the product fails to meet the required
standard quality he told The Star here yesterday
Gan one of the speakers at a seminar on Furniture Industry Development in Sarawak said FRIM now provided quality lab test
services
Manufacturers could approach Sirim for its eco labelling scheme or overseas agencies such as Green Environmental Choice Scheme Green Label from Hong Kong and Singapore he said
Manufacturers need to choose
the right scheme that is recognised by their customers
He said for quality tests in FRIM manufacturers only had to pay a nominal fee of about RM1 000 which was two to three times lower
than those in Singapore or the
United States
Green and quality certifications
were essential if manufacturers
wished to remain competitive and relevant in the global market he
said
FRIM FurnitureTesting Laboratory head Mohd Arshad Saru said for
now it was not mandatory for fur niture manufacturers in Malaysia to send their products for quality testing but they were encouraged
to do so
On average about 50 manufac turers go for quality testing at FRIM mainly because their customers demand the quality certification
Some customers particularly those from overseas will require manufacturers to go for a second test after two years before they make new purchasing to ensure the furniture retain their quality he
said
Some failed to meet the quality tests although the products looked nice he said stressing that quality tests were also important for cus tomers safety
Those who failed will have
to redesign and improve their products
Headline Get green certification, nation's manufacturers urged MediaTitle The Star (Kuching)
Date 15 Feb 2012 Color Black/white
Section NEWS Circulation 293,375
Page No S6 Readership 1,026,812
Language English ArticleSize 168 cm²
Journalist N/A AdValue RM 927
Frequency Daily PR Value RM 2,781